Skip to Main Content
  • IndyCar
  • Resources
  • About
  • Contact Us
  • 800.281.9445
Fleet Cost & Care
Fleet Cost & Care
Fleet Cost & Care
Fleet Cost & Care
  • Schedule a Demo
  • Schedule A Demo
  • 800.281.9445
  • Fleet Management Software
    • Crane Management
    • NexGen
    • Atom
    • Safety
    • Sales Assistant
    • How To Buy
    • Industries
    • Training
    • Customer Support
    • Integrations
  • Team
  • Blog
  • Customer Support
  • Schedule a Demo
  • IndyCar
  • Resources
  • About
    • History
    • Team
    • Careers
    • Open Positions
    • IndyCar
    • Castrol Toyota Racing
  • Contact Us
  • 800.281.9445

Fleet Management News and Press Releases

The leading source for fleet management news, industry highlights, product updates and more

See All Posts

Graham Rahal, Fleet Cost & Care, and a New Helmet Get the INDYCAR Season Started in Texas

By: Matt Reinhart
•
News, Press Releases

Fort Worth, TX (June 6, 2020) – After many delays and schedule rearrangements the 2020 NTT INDYCAR Series finally got underway at the Texas Motor Speedway last Saturday night with the running of the Genesys 300. The race, run with a multitude of operational changes due to COVID-19 and without fans in attendance was a harbinger for the sports community’s return to live action.

If the three month delay of the season and the race being bumped to NBC in the primetime, 8:00 PM Saturday slot was not enough hype for primary sponsor Fleet Cost & Care (FCC), their driver Graham Rahal would be making laps with new helmet design by FCC graphic designer Cindy Romano.

A delayed Start

Less than 24 hours before the first race of the 2020 INDYCAR season was to begin organizers canceled the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg due to the growing concerns of COVID-19 on American soil. That was March 13th. Nearly three months later drivers, teams, and essential personnel descended to the Texas Motor Speedway for what would finally be the first race of the season.

Fleet Cost & Care, in its fifth year of sponsoring Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and Graham Rahal’s #15 car was excited to see Rahal’s car draped in the Fleet Cost & Care livery for the for the season opener on national television.

After the cancellation or the first five races and a flurry of other schedule rearrangements, drivers, their teams, fans, and sponsors were eager to get the season going as Saturday night’s green flag approached.

Hopes were high as Graham Rahal has a record of performing well at Texas Motor Speedway, with a podium finish in 2019 and victory in 2016.  Unfortunately, Graham Rahal’s car had technical difficulties at the beginning of the race, which made it difficult to recover from due to mandatory pit stops at 35 laps under a green flag, and the reduction in the length of the race, both adjustments related to operating in the new landscaped of COVID-19. Rahal finished 17th.

Graham Rahal talks to NBCSN with the now mandatory face mask.

“Very Disapointed. Our Fleet Cost & Care car was fast, but we were doomed from the start. Sadly, the car wouldn’t start on the grid.” – Graham Rahal

“We didn’t get the result we wanted, but this is a long season. We are looking forward to Graham getting back to the top of the pack quickly,” said Fleet Cost & Care President, Jeff Curran. “As always, we are thoroughly impressed with how Graham, his team, and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) operate – especially given these strange times. We are fortunate to be able to continue to grow our partnership with these great people” Curran added.

The IndyCar paddock had a different feel this weekend.

Given the huge hole left by the postponement of all major sporting events, the American public was eager to tune into last Saturday’s race. NBC Sports announced that the Genesys 300 was their most-watched INDYCAR race on record excluding the Indy 500s. The season opener averaged a Total Audience Delivery 1.285 million viewers.

Everyday heroes

Back in April Graham Rahal called for his fans to submit helmet artwork for a contest on Twitter. The winning design would be worn at an INDYCAR race this season. Jeff Curran, Fleet Cost & Care’s president, suggested the company’s graphic designer, Cindy Romano enter the contest. Not only did Cindy submit an entry she ended up winning. She was up against many other great entries, but in the end her design, named “Everyday Heroes” won the fan vote on Twitter. Thank you to all who voted!

Cindy Romano’s winning helmet design [Photo credit: Bell Helmets]

“I was trying to come up with a theme to develop the design around and because we are living through this pandemic right now, I just thought about ‘Everyday Heroes’ and who those people are. As Jeff Curran mentioned, my daughter works for the Mayo Clinic. She is a medical ICU nurse – so she’s going to be doing this for the long term. This is designed around the first responders and all the other people, all of us really, because we are all in this together. I wanted to have a patriotic feel to it as well,” said Romano.

Upon learning the Cindy worked for Fleet Cost & Care, Graham and his team at Bell Helmets got to work to produce the helmet for the season opener, which was also FCC’s weekend as the primary sponsor. In the week prior to the race, Graham presented the finished product to Cindy and other members of Fleet Cost & Care in the feel-good Zoom meeting of the week.

We might be a little biased, but that helmet sure looked nice on Graham and his Fleet Cost & Care fire suit!

This was a different type of race weekend for Fleet Cost & Care in its fifth season as sponsor of Graham Rahal’s No.15 car, but we are hopeful that we are nearing an in-person return to the track soon.

Fleet Cost & Care continues to grow their relationship with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, and their love of making new INDYCAR fans. We hope to see you at the track soon!

For more details about the Series, please visit www.indycar.com.

Share This Article:
Matt Reinhart
About the Author

Matt Reinhart is a Senior Marketing Specialist for Fleet Cost & Care

Learn More

Comments
  • 6/8/2020
    jeffrey curran

    Counting the days to Indy Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway!

    Reply

We want to hear what you think! Cancel reply

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Categories

  • Best Practices
  • Press Releases
  • Fleet Services
  • Mobile Technology
  • Industry News
  • Crane Safety
  • Case Studies
  • Product Enhancements
  • Preventative Maintenance
  • Marketing

Contributors

  • Brynn Blastow
  • Candice Thomas
  • David Thornton
  • Jeff Curran
  • Jenna Fuller
  • Jess Stephens
  • Matt Reinhart

Recent Tweets

Tweets by FleetCostCare

Ready to get started?

Our dedicated staff is ready to help. Click the button to begin a conversation with our team.

Request a Demo

Sign up for Email Updates

Get the latest webinars, tutorials and more sent directly to your inbox.

Contact

865 S. Fort St. Detroit, MI 48217

800.281.9445

Connect
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube

  • Fleet Management Software
  • Crane Management
  • Integrations
  • News
  • Schedule a Demo
  • IndyCar
  • Customer Support
  • Blog
  • About
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
Google Play Store
Google Play Store QR Code Image Scan using your mobile device to install the app.
App store
App store QR Code Scan using your mobile device to install the app.
©2023 Fleet Cost & Care
  • Sitemap
  • Privacy Policy